The sculptures created for the Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships will be on display through about 9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, weather permitting. Visitors can wander through the installments for free until they disappear. For more information on the event, visit www.gobreck.com. To see more of the students’ workshop photos, visit this story at www.summitdaily.com.

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Students from the Colorado Mountain College winter digital photography workshop spent the past weekend capturing moments in ice and snow in Breckenridge.

The fledgling photographers got up close and personal with entries in the Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships, as well as the Ice Castles, both of which are still on display in the Riverwalk Center parking lot.

Local photographer Katie Girtman, of Studio Kiva Photography, led the workshop, which was a partnership with GoBreck and attended by a handful of both local and visiting photography students. The students ranged in ability from those who had barely picked up a camera to basic-level photography enthusiasts.

“We did workshop-type situations, where I would give them information about different tools in their cameras and then they would go out and use those different tools,” Girtman said.

Girtman taught her pupils about the various features of their cameras, from aperture settings to color adjusting for night shooting. Students also learned how to best position themselves in a crowded environment to get the shots and angles they wanted. Girtman said despite the various ability levels, everyone who attended the workshop said they came away with new skills.

“Everybody learned something from it and got a lot out of it,” she said. “It was hard to teach someone who’s never picked up a camera before versus someone who’s more advanced, but we went through a lot of information, so I feel like we covered both.”

Rachel Zerowin, who handles media relations for GoBreck, said the resort chamber thought the photo workshops would be a great enhancement to the event.

“We reached out to CMC, who we knew could execute the quality we were looking for,” she said. “Experiential learning is a huge part of what today’s travelers are looking for when choosing a destination. With CMC already offering so many great hands-on opportunities, and the event organically drawing photographers of all levels, the workshops seemed a natural fit.”

In the bigger picture of Breckenridge as a destination, the workshop added to the already diverse lineup of activities that locals, second-home owners and visitors love about Breckenridge, Zerowin said. GoBreck plans to partner with CMC again in the future to put on the workshop, which Girtman said could only get better.

“It was a fun class. Everybody had a really good time, and I had a good time myself,” Girtman said. “We’re going to make it bigger and better; we’ll probably get to hang on a crane and take pictures of the snow sculptures next year.”

“Experiential learning is a huge part of what today’s travelers are looking for when choosing a destination.” Rachel Zerowin GoBreck